A theoretical approach to self-improvement that offers little groundbreaking advice.
Entrepreneur Muller offers a self-empowerment guide that aims to unlock one’s ability to pursue one’s goals.
After an introduction and brief autobiography, the author begins this motivational work with a counterintuitive call for “soul rest”—quiet time for distraction-free reflection that one may use to recalibrate, reassess, and mull over one’s intentions. He believes focusing on the why instead of the what or how of one’s actions is crucial to understanding the purpose behind them. Instead of achievements, Muller advocates for basing one’s identity on the concept of inner peace. The author asserts that every person “has a purpose and meaning, ordained by a higher power” as well as an “inner ledger” that effectively tracks one’s progress toward goals. Completing various tasks strengthens the “commitment muscle,” he writes, and staying cool under pressure strengthens the “crisis muscle.” According to Muller, every person is a “masterpiece,” and practicing self-love can help people recognize their own “wow” factor. Generosity toward others, he goes on, can also facilitate feelings of joy, fulfillment, and connection. Muller also introduces the concept of “embedded coding,” which refers to the unique, innate capabilities of each person. The book concludes with an insistence on the importance of “acknowledging and cherishing the exceptional creation that you are.” Some readers may find Muller’s uplifting sentiments to be inspiring, such as “The truth remains that within each of us lies something unique, miraculous, and capable of making a significant impact on the world.” He also offers valuable reflections, such as “Silence is the canvas upon which wisdom paints its guidance and insights.” He effectively illustrates some concepts with examples from his own life, such as how his infant daughter’s medical emergency helped him develop his own ability to handle crises. However, much of the book’s advice feels somewhat vague, such as, “Our capabilities can be developed and improved with dedication and passion.” Also, avid readers of the self-help genre will already be very familiar with several suggested exercises, such as imagining one’s own funeral or replacing negative thoughts with positive affirmations.
A theoretical approach to self-improvement that offers little groundbreaking advice.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: 9780645880304
Page Count: 190
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 17, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
An ebullient nature lover’s paean to birds.
A charming bird journey with the bestselling author.
In his introduction to Tan’s “nature journal,” David Allen Sibley, the acclaimed ornithologist, nails the spirit of this book: a “collection of delightfully quirky, thoughtful, and personal observations of birds in sketches and words.” For years, Tan has looked out on her California backyard “paradise”—oaks, periwinkle vines, birch, Japanese maple, fuchsia shrubs—observing more than 60 species of birds, and she fashions her findings into delightful and approachable journal excerpts, accompanied by her gorgeous color sketches. As the entries—“a record of my life”—move along, the author becomes more adept at identifying and capturing them with words and pencils. Her first entry is September 16, 2017: Shortly after putting up hummingbird feeders, one of the tiny, delicate creatures landed on her hand and fed. “We have a relationship,” she writes. “I am in love.” By August 2018, her backyard “has become a menagerie of fledglings…all learning to fly.” Day by day, she has continued to learn more about the birds, their activities, and how she should relate to them; she also admits mistakes when they occur. In December 2018, she was excited to observe a Townsend’s Warbler—“Omigod! It’s looking at me. Displeased expression.” Battling pesky squirrels, Tan deployed Hot Pepper Suet to keep them away, and she deterred crows by hanging a fake one upside down. The author also declared war on outdoor cats when she learned they kill more than 1 billion birds per year. In May 2019, she notes that she spends $250 per month on beetle larvae. In June 2019, she confesses “spending more hours a day staring at birds than writing. How can I not?” Her last entry, on December 15, 2022, celebrates when an eating bird pauses, “looks and acknowledges I am there.”
An ebullient nature lover’s paean to birds.Pub Date: April 23, 2024
ISBN: 9780593536131
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Jan. 19, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
A virtuoso performance and an ode to an undervalued medium created by two talented artists.
The veteran actor, comedian, and banjo player teams up with the acclaimed illustrator to create a unique book of cartoons that communicates their personalities.
Martin, also a prolific author, has always been intrigued by the cartoons strewn throughout the pages of the New Yorker. So when he was presented with the opportunity to work with Bliss, who has been a staff cartoonist at the magazine since 1997, he seized the moment. “The idea of a one-panel image with or without a caption mystified me,” he writes. “I felt like, yeah, sometimes I’m funny, but there are these other weird freaks who are actually funny.” Once the duo agreed to work together, they established their creative process, which consisted of working forward and backward: “Forwards was me conceiving of several cartoon images and captions, and Harry would select his favorites; backwards was Harry sending me sketched or fully drawn cartoons for dialogue or banners.” Sometimes, he writes, “the perfect joke occurs two seconds before deadline.” There are several cartoons depicting this method, including a humorous multipanel piece highlighting their first meeting called “They Meet,” in which Martin thinks to himself, “He’ll never be able to translate my delicate and finely honed droll notions.” In the next panel, Bliss thinks, “I’m sure he won’t understand that the comic art form is way more subtle than his blunt-force humor.” The team collaborated for a year and created 150 cartoons featuring an array of topics, “from dogs and cats to outer space and art museums.” A witty creation of a bovine family sitting down to a gourmet meal and one of Dumbo getting his comeuppance highlight the duo’s comedic talent. What also makes this project successful is the team’s keen understanding of human behavior as viewed through their unconventional comedic minds.
A virtuoso performance and an ode to an undervalued medium created by two talented artists.Pub Date: Nov. 17, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-250-26289-9
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Celadon Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 30, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2020
PERSPECTIVES
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